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I think the really relevant question is, if AAA Development fell in a forest, would anyone hear it?

My opinion has always been that we get the best games near the end of a console cycle. Super-polished niche games, indie games, and original AAA games are dominating right now while the sequels sputter out.

Over Q2 of this year, the gaming press has been talking plenty about the Ducktales remake, Dragon's Crown, and the Last of Us. Streaming keeps getting more relevant to the community, and is showcasing utterly non-mainstream stuff like The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, even Crusader Kings 2.

Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, SMT4... these are far from the 'typical franchises' to be defining what gaming is on a Nintendo platform. But they are.

So I would say, if the only thing we lose out of that broad spectrum of experiences is The Last of Us, the Shooter Sequel gang, and maybe the Wi U to some imaginary AAA gaming crash, then big deal. The idea behind the former would still find expression in a less costly form of game.

Launch games will suck. People will buy anyway. Better games will come along in good time. That X game will finally bring a broader base of JRPG fans to the Wii U. Mainstream games will still be $60 and people will still pay. A bunch of sequel publishers will close. That's my bold picture of 2014; business as usual.